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Usenet Posted 23 years ago
Usage
Strange usage of prepositions
From this week's Newsweek:
1. Arab societies outght to at least consider *at* the China model.Or htey could look at South Korea, Taiwan or Singapore, all of which were dirt-poor as China when..
2.(Taking about how difficult it is for scientists and engineers tokeep tiny things under precise control) The old adage that no two snowflakes are alike speaks *to* the explosion of possibilities engineers face when dealing with the minuscule.
Questions:
Are the prepositions in both sentences used correctly? In case 1, I think "consider at" is supposed to mean the same as the "look at" in the next sentence, but I couldn't confirm this usage in my dictionaries. As regard to case 2, is the "to" semantically any different from "of", which I think is more common?
mao
1. Arab societies outght to at least consider *at* the China model.Or htey could look at South Korea, Taiwan or Singapore, all of which were dirt-poor as China when..
2.(Taking about how difficult it is for scientists and engineers tokeep tiny things under precise control) The old adage that no two snowflakes are alike speaks *to* the explosion of possibilities engineers face when dealing with the minuscule.
Questions:
Are the prepositions in both sentences used correctly? In case 1, I think "consider at" is supposed to mean the same as the "look at" in the next sentence, but I couldn't confirm this usage in my dictionaries. As regard to case 2, is the "to" semantically any different from "of", which I think is more common?
mao
Top answer
[nq:1]From this week's Newsweek:[/nq] Since some respondents might wish to check your transcription, giving the date & page might be helpful. [nq:1]1. Arab societies outght to at least consider *at* the China model.
- [nq:1]From this week's Newsweek:[/nq] Since some respondents might wish to check your transcription, giving the date & page might be helpful.
- [nq:1]1.
- Arab societies outght to at least consider *at* the China model.
- Or htey could look at South Korea, Taiwan ...
- the explosion of possibilities engineers face when dealing with the minuscule.
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26 Answers
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[nq:1]From this week's Newsweek:[/nq]
Since some respondents might wish to check your transcription, giving the date & page might be helpful.
[nq:1]1. Arab societies outght to at least consider *at* the China model. Or htey could look at South Korea, Taiwan ... the explosion of possibilities engineers face when dealing with the minuscule. Questions: Are the prepositions in both sentences u
Since some respondents might wish to check your transcription, giving the date & page might be helpful.
[nq:1]1. Arab societies outght to at least consider *at* the China model. Or htey could look at South Korea, Taiwan ... the explosion of possibilities engineers face when dealing with the minuscule. Questions: Are the prepositions in both sentences u
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[nq:1]From this week's Newsweek: 1. Arab societies outght to at least consider *at* the China model. Or htey could look ... dictionaries. As regard to case 2, is the "to" semantically any different from "of", which I think is more common?[/nq]
"consider" is a transitive verb and doesn't require a preposition. "Consider the lilies of the field", "Consider her Ways".
Arab societies ough
"consider" is a transitive verb and doesn't require a preposition. "Consider the lilies of the field", "Consider her Ways".
Arab societies ough
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[nq:1]From this week's Newsweek: 1. Arab societies outght to at least consider at* the China model. Or htey could look ... adage that no two snowflakes are alike speaks *to the explosion of possibilities engineers face when dealing with the minuscule.[/nq]
Case 2 is acceptable idiomatic English. (Phrases like "explosion of possibilities" are clumsy and inexact.)
Case 1 is an er
Case 2 is acceptable idiomatic English. (Phrases like "explosion of possibilities" are clumsy and inexact.)
Case 1 is an er
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[nq:1]From this week's Newsweek: 1. Arab societies outght to at least consider *at* the China model. Or they could look ... dictionaries. As regard to case 2, is the "to" semantically any different from "of", which I think is more common?[/nq]
In case #1, you are correct: the use is not at all idiomatic, and doubtless is simple error for "look at" or "consider" (very likely the author or edito
In case #1, you are correct: the use is not at all idiomatic, and doubtless is simple error for "look at" or "consider" (very likely the author or edito
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"Eric Walker" (Email Removed) wrote on 21 Nov 2003:
[nq:1]In case #2, there is a use "speaks to" (my desk dictionary marks this sense as "Archaic") that means "to ... speaks to his innate carelessness." But one man's archaic is another man's everyday, so we cannot rule out that intention;[/nq]
A very good point. W3NID often says that my usages are archaic and obsolete, but for me they are
[nq:1]In case #2, there is a use "speaks to" (my desk dictionary marks this sense as "Archaic") that means "to ... speaks to his innate carelessness." But one man's archaic is another man's everyday, so we cannot rule out that intention;[/nq]
A very good point. W3NID often says that my usages are archaic and obsolete, but for me they are
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[nq:2]From this week's Newsweek: 1. Arab societies outght to at ... any different from "of", which I think is more common?[/nq]
[nq:1]In case #1, you are correct: the use is not at all idiomatic, and doubtless is simple error for "look ... looks to me like the writer tried for an effect with a tool he or she did not fully understand.[/nq]
Have you travelled backwards on a beam of tachyons?
[nq:1]In case #1, you are correct: the use is not at all idiomatic, and doubtless is simple error for "look ... looks to me like the writer tried for an effect with a tool he or she did not fully understand.[/nq]
Have you travelled backwards on a beam of tachyons?
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[nq:2]From this week's Newsweek: 1. Arab societies outght to at ... or Singapore, all of which were dirt-poor as China when..[/nq]
[nq:1]You need another "as" in the second sentence: "... all of which were as dirt-poor as China ..."[/nq]
It's not mandatory. The introductory "as" in such comparisons can be elided. "He's honest as the day is long." "I'm corny as Kansas in August." It's infor
[nq:1]You need another "as" in the second sentence: "... all of which were as dirt-poor as China ..."[/nq]
It's not mandatory. The introductory "as" in such comparisons can be elided. "He's honest as the day is long." "I'm corny as Kansas in August." It's infor
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[nq:1]Have you travelled backwards on a beam of tachyons? Your reply predates the question by about five hours.[/nq]
No, or at least I felt no breeze. I reckon that different time zones and someone or something somewhere that either doesn't take heed of zone differentials or something else that didn't put an full time stamp on.
I am not expert in those things, but when I look at the top of
No, or at least I felt no breeze. I reckon that different time zones and someone or something somewhere that either doesn't take heed of zone differentials or something else that didn't put an full time stamp on.
I am not expert in those things, but when I look at the top of
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Robert Lieblich (Email Removed) wrote on 21 Nov 2003:
[nq:2]You need another "as" in the second sentence: "... all of which were as dirt-poor as China ..."[/nq]
[nq:1]It's not mandatory. The introductory "as" in such comparisons can be elided. "He's honest as the day is long." "I'm corny as Kansas in August."[/nq]
Here are the lyrics.
Margaret Whiting - A Wonderful Guy
I'm as c
[nq:2]You need another "as" in the second sentence: "... all of which were as dirt-poor as China ..."[/nq]
[nq:1]It's not mandatory. The introductory "as" in such comparisons can be elided. "He's honest as the day is long." "I'm corny as Kansas in August."[/nq]
Here are the lyrics.
Margaret Whiting - A Wonderful Guy
I'm as c
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...
} Here are the lyrics.
}
} Margaret Whiting - A Wonderful Guy
...
} I'm as trite and as gay as a daisy in May,
} A cliche coming true!
You could've knocked me over with a feather on that one. I never heard that word as "true". Someone will be delighted to hear me admit that.
} It's informal speech, but I don't think it's informal news magazine } writ
} Here are the lyrics.
}
} Margaret Whiting - A Wonderful Guy
...
} I'm as trite and as gay as a daisy in May,
} A cliche coming true!
You could've knocked me over with a feather on that one. I never heard that word as "true". Someone will be delighted to hear me admit that.
} It's informal speech, but I don't think it's informal news magazine } writ
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